


Flowers

by pyromanicofthesea



Series: A Pridecember Winter Wonderland [4]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, mild gift anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:27:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28060908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyromanicofthesea/pseuds/pyromanicofthesea
Summary: Romantic gifts can be stressful, and there's nothing more romantic than flowers.
Relationships: Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi
Series: A Pridecember Winter Wonderland [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2055513
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Flowers

Kaiba was early, as he planned to be. Punctuality was important and he still needed to stop by the florist on the way over. He grabbed his keys, deciding that driving himself would save him the time of his driver opening his door or waiting for him to get into the car. Was he only saving himself a fraction of time? Yes. But every second counted if he wanted to ensure he could retrieve the bouquet and pick the Other Yugi up in time. 

He shut the door behind him, and checked that he had his wallet and phone before walking out to the car.

The florist he chose was not far from the Kame Game shop. That was intentional, to avoid driving to the other side of Domino and then back. Time was of the essence. He did not send a complicated request. A few main flowers with meaning, accented with green garnishes and flowers of smaller size with brighter colors. He expected the bouquet to be perfect when he arrived.

He pulled into the four spot parking lot and into the only unoccupied space. He turned off the car, reached for the door, and hesitated. What if the Other Yugi didn't like the flowers? What if he, despite days of research into the symbolic properties of each main part, presented an offensive arrangement? What if he was moving too fast and frightened the Other Yugi away?

Kaiba shook his head. He was being ridiculous. Flowers were a kind romantic gesture that he saw couples give each other all the time. His secretary received flowers from her husband each month, his lead developer received flowers from his girlfriend during each crunch period, one of his agents even came to him for floral advice for her wife. Flowers were no stress, no hassle, perfectly acceptable romantic gift to someone close to you. So then, why was he so stressed about the bouquet?

No, he wasn't. He wouldn't be. He opened the car door, locked it, and headed inside the small florist shop.

A small bell chimed when he walked in. There only was one other customer in the shop, one cashier up front and presumably the other worker in the back making arrangements. The shop smelled sweet, a mix of roses and tulips despite all the different flowers in bunches on display. It was a little overwhelming. He could feel a headache threatening to form between his eyes, only confirming for himself that he had no desire to stay in the shop any longer than necessary.

He walked up to the counter, where the cashier greeted him as she wrapped an arrangement. "I placed an online order, scheduled for pickup today."

"Pickup for Tonaka?" she asked, checking the computer.

"No, Kai," he said and it earned him a smile.

"Your order was paid at the time of placement. Give me just a moment to retrieve it from the back." The cashier stepped away from the counter and into the room behind her, leaving Kaiba to wait at the front counter.

As he waited, Kaiba decided he liked the little shop, even if the strong aroma was headache-inducing. If the bouquet was satisfactory, and if the Other Yugi liked the flowers, he would have to return sometime.

The cashier did not leave Kaiba waiting long. She returned with an elegant bouquet, held together with flower paper and a thick ribbon bow. The main piece was comprised of red and pink roses, and accented with delphinium, sea lavender, and myrtle. Kaiba found it beautiful, and hoped the Other Yugi would be as charmed about the bouquet as he was.

"Was there anything you'd like to add?" the cashier asked.

Kaiba looked at the bouquet for a moment, and then shook his head. No, it was perfect. "No, that will do."

"Alright, there is a packet of flower food with instructions wrapped to the stems." The cashier handed Kaiba the bouquet, and he went on his way, barely missing her cheerful "have a good day!" as he left the little shop.

The flowers were heavy in his hands as he carried them to the car, despite the bouquet itself hardly weighing a pound. He gripped the stems tightly without meaning to. He had the flowers and there was no going back now.

The seven minute drive to the Kame Game shop felt like a journey of ages.

\---

"Ji-chan, I'm heading out!" Yugi called into the living room from the front door as he buckled his boots. "I'll be home later this evening!"

"Okay Yugi, bring back takeout when you come home!"

"There are leftovers in the fridge!" he called back, only to get his grandfather's laughter as a response. Yugi sighed and looked over at his Other Self, who leaned against the wall to his left.

_I'll bring home takeout on my way back, aibou,_ his Other Self told him with a warm smile. _Don't worry._

"I'm not worried," Yugi said, careful to keep his voice low so his grandfather couldn't hear him talking to the spirit. "I know you will. Have fun, and say hi to Kaiba-kun for me." He stood as he finished the last strap, and gave his Other Self a look. "Ready to go?"

The Other Yugi nodded, and felt almost immediately the pull of Yugi's soul trying to trade places with his own. In a blink of an eye, he blinked Yugi's eyes, which were now his own under his control. He felt Yugi disappear into his soulroom, but he still waited a moment longer before opening the door to wait for Kaiba outside.

A moment turned into a few seconds and then almost half a minute as the Other Yugi started to get cold feet. It happened every time. Kaiba was his friend, his rival, and now a frequent date. Boyfriend felt too average to describe Kaiba, who was anything but average. A partner, then. That felt more right. A friend, a rival, and a partner. None of which the Other Yugi wanted to mess up and lose.

Every challenge had to be faced head on, so he took a deep breath, opened the door, and headed out.

The Other Yugi was met with the bright sun of a nice day, and the glint of Kaiba's favorite personal car. He waved to Kaiba, who was leaning against the car with his arms crossed at his chest, waiting for him. Kaiba waved back, in his own small way, and it made the Other Yugi smile.

"Yugi says hello," he told Kaiba once he was close enough for the other man to hear.

"Is he joining us today?" Kaiba asked as he pushed off the car and walked back over to the driver's side.

"No," the Other Yugi shook his head. "This is a date, isn't it?" Kaiba just flashed him a smirk before getting into the car, to which the Other Yugi shook his head. He got into the car himself, only to have a large bouquet of flowers shoved into his arms as soon as he was seated.

The flowers were beautiful, and he felt his heart melt at the sight of them. He took a deep breath, taking in the fragrance of rose, and let out a content sigh. He turned to face Kaiba, whose face was bright red.

"I love them," he said and couldn't help the wide smile that spread across his face.

Kaiba felt a rush of warmth and pride at the Other Yugi's reaction. He reached out and locked fingers with the man's free hand. "I'm glad," Kaiba said as he rubbed gentle circles into the back of the Other Yugi's hand.

"Can I hug you?" he asked, and wrapped his arms around Kaiba's shoulders when Kaiba nodded. He buried his face into the crook of Kaiba's shoulder, hugging him close. He felt a little overwhelmed, first the scent of roses and now he was surrounded by the scent of Kaiba. He felt so warm and so light, as if he were floating on a cloud under the sun.

"So," Kaiba said, his breath tickling the Other Yugi's ear. "Ready to go for a drive?"

**Author's Note:**

> Red roses are a sign of romance and love, and pink roses are a sign of love and appreciation. Myrtle is a filler green that also represents love, but the other filler greens and flowers are just there because I think they'd look nice. (Sorry if any of this is inaccurate, I did one (1) search for information while writing this)
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


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